Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV emphasized today in his Regina Caeli address (video) that “the Sunday Eucharist is indispensable to the Christian life.”

Pope Leo XIV named Father Andrea Ciucci the new chancellor, or second-ranking official, of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Pope Leo XIV received directors and staff members of Italy’s National Institute for Social Security (video) and lamented the extreme poverty that affects hundreds of millions of the world’s people.

President Macron said after the audience that he and Pope Leo share a “common conviction: in the face of the world’s divisions, action for peace is a duty and a requirement.”

The French president also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed “important international issues, with an exchange of views on conflict situations in the world, hoping that peaceful coexistence can be reestablished through dialogue and negotiation.”

“People need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well.”